Family Planning

A big "act" in your relationship ring is probably your family or a "significant other". How do you keep track of and work effectively with the relationship performers in your circus? Here are a couple of quick suggestions:

• Have a family/relationship calendar. My mom taught me this one. Growing up we had a big calendar that hung on the wall in the kitchen. Whenever we had an activity or event that we were involved in as kids, we would be instructed to "put it on the calendar." If it wasn't on the calendar, it didn't happen! Now, with technology, my family has an online calendar that we all have access to. This calendar has saved me so many times and has probably helped my relationships with my family as well. It helps me remember family events and activities before I make commitments that might conflict-whether it is a dance recital, birthday or the ever important anniversary. It helps me to include in my lineup the activities that my family is involved in. I am also more productive because I can immediately respond to requests that involve "after hours" or "travel plans" because I can pull up our calendar, look for conflicts and give an immediate, yes or no.


• Sit down as a family at the beginning of the week and have a planning session. For one thing, this is a great time to review the calendar. What activities are going on in the next few weeks? Who needs a ride somewhere and when? Can we schedule time to actually sit down and eat a meal together? What about a vacation when everyone is free? With teenagers, this is even more vital. A weekly planning meeting doesn't take a long time and acts as "an ounce of prevention" for the week.

Family/relationship planning will not only help you get a standing ovation in your "relationship ring" but it will also help you in your "work ring". When you have a very busy schedule at work, the last thing you need to worry about or be distracted with is the great unknown of what is going on in the lives of those you care about. Relationship planning will allow you to stay focused and know when you can stay a little later at work and/or when you need to make sure to be out the door to make it home.

Time for Discovery

I was recently in a Middle School Orientation for one of my daughters who will be heading into 7th grade. The principal spoke and made the statement, "Middle School is about discovery. It is a time to help your children decide what they want to be when they grow up." She then went on to explain the classes that the students would be taking that would expose them to a variety of topics that would help them as they decide their future.

As I thought about my daughter and the classes that she would be taking, I couldn't help but wonder what she would discover over the next 10+ years and what she would become when she grows up. (I often wonder what I will be when I grow up-with the emphasis on "when I grow up.") My mind started formulating what her plan should be and what she was good at and where her testing scores were and how important being in the right classes was going to be-then I had a brain aneurysm-or maybe it was a epiphany.

Is there a time in our lives that we should stop discovering, be grown up and fall into a routine of what we should be? Are the goals/decisions that we make in Middle School, High School, and College the ultimate blue print or path for the rest of our lives? Our lives change, our situations change and our dreams evolve. Sure, placement tests and classes in school can help us with discovery and opportunities, but maybe there should be a class on "Life Long Discovery." Shouldn't we discover new things when we are 30, 50, 90?

It is time to discover something new... where is that brochure on scuba diving?

What Can You Cut Out?

With an already busy schedule, it is often difficult to include the New Year's Resolutions that we want to add to our lineups. Adding just one more thing to an already busy schedule can add stress and frustration. So, as you consider what you want to add to next year's performance you should also consider what you want to remove.

Think about this quote by Jack Welch: If someone tells me, 'I'm working ninety hours a week,' I say, 'You're doing something terribly wrong. I go skiing on the weekend. I go out on Friday. Make a list of twenty things that make you work ninety hours, and ten of them have to be nonsense.'

Try Jack Welch's recommendation. Make a list of twenty things that make you work long hours. What ten things can you move out of your lineup? How about in your personal life? What activities need to be removed? It's like getting new clothes for Christmas when you already have a crowded closet. It is time to throw the stuff out that you don’t wear or that is out of style to make room for the new clothes.

Now is a good time to make room for your New Year’s Resolutions.

Potential

What is our potential? What are we capable of achieving? We may never know unless we are willing to dream...and then put the time and resources in place to accomplish that dream. Don’t let life just happen to you. Dream and then act!

James Allen said, The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul, a waking angel stirs.

Over the years I have heard on numerous occasions, "This has the potential to...." While some of the ideas had tragic flaws, others were excellent thoughts. More often than not the potential was never reached because a plan of action was never put into place.

During this season we will find ourselves being more reflective. Soon we will look a new year and long for things to be different. What are some concrete steps you could take now to help make those dreams a reality-and realize more of your potential?

Service In Your Lineup

Dr. Martin Luther King said, Everyone has the power of greatness; not for fame, but greatness. Because greatness is determined by service. Is it time to add a little service in your circus lineup? In your organization's lineup? It is easy to focus solely on making ends meet and dealing with the urgent. What about the greater good? Today, look for a simple way to be of service to someone-a small step towards greatness.